The Indian Summer comes abruptly to an end as Jan and Justin head to Harrogate for the 1st Annual Weekend Conference and Inaugural General Meeting of the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists.  It promises to be quite a “do”: more than 200 therapists in attendance, and distinguished speakers Tim Betts, Beverley de Valois, Dietrich Wabner, Rhiannon Harris, Clive Ballard, Maria Harvey, Christopher McMahon and John Kerr to disseminate knowledge.  Throw in a Gala Dinner and an undoubtedly spirited debate at the AGM, it is sure to be a big “hit”.

This being the second occasion that we have been left to our own devices, as last weekend Jan was also away enjoying an excellent day at the Aromatherapy Organisations Council Conference, Mungu, Birdie, the Blues Brothers, the Terrapin Boys and I intend to chill out. All are agreed that we shall not start the day at our customary 0520.  What bliss! True to their words (if they could speak rather than bark, squawk and splash violently), and probably greatly assisted by an uncustomary dark morning outside, the day gets underway at a leisurely 0800. Then all hell breaks loose, as milkman, postman and paperman arrive en bloc. Ah well...

Justin phones from Harrogate to advise that all does indeed seem set fair for a great event, and Jan informs that Gabriel Mojay enquires where am I? Come, Gabriel, you know that Charles doesn’t do conferences! In fact, she is quite correct. Why? No small part must be down surely to sheer laziness and yet, since a small boy, I have never really enjoyed, what I perceive to be, the classroom environment. People always seem to be speaking at me, rather than with me. Of course there is the opportunity to confer, but I have always preferred to do my own thing.  I fear that I have never been a very good organisation man.

Justin displays similar tendencies, as does that unashamedly outrageous motoring raconteur and media personality Jeremy Clarkson. The connection?  We share the same Alma Mater. Although it is now almost fifty years since I first passed beneath the Arch at Repton, to follow in the footsteps of my father and grandfather, I still find it difficult to escape the mould of those formative years. Development of the individual was all important, and we were encouraged to evolve accordingly. Many years later, at a dinner party hosted by Justin’s godfather, our hostess for the evening abruptly left the table with the words....The problem with you lot is that you are programmed from birth!  I don’t think that she was wrong.

Pall over South-East Asia.
Few cannot have been shocked by the appalling news from Bali.  Following in the wake of other incidents in Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, this latest act of terrorism will reduce sharply the number of destinations in the world perceived to be safe for travel. Specifically targetted at tourism, the repercussions will most likely be far-reaching: not only Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and southern Thailand, but also India, Morocco, the Maldives, Dubai and Egypt. The likely winners, if you can call them that, are resorts in north America and the Caribbean.

A very old friend, and highly decorated Vietnam veteran, emails from Australia: The typical Aussie has felt immune to terror attacks in Australia but that is now all gone.  My godson has a textile business in Bali and thankfully he is O.K.  He played rugby in the afternoon and was too tired to go to the Sari Club otherwise he too would have been one of the statistics. I am simply outraged by this recent attack in which we have lost a lot of young people.  At this stage there are 190 Aussies and 200 Kiwis missing, which is a major disaster in anyone’s language. It’s our 9/11 and will change the landscape of “false security”in Australia for ever.  Unless we are resolute and determined to nail these bastards our lives are going to be dictated by terror and fear.

However, as one of his friends is moved to comment, and he is no dove but perhaps more pragmatic, where you have gross imbalances you will have people behaving in apparently grossly anti-social ways, and that will be exacerbated by communication capabilities which only go to show the disadvantaged just how disadvantaged they really are.  An overt application of force may not necessarily be the most effective way to remove or neutralize the problem.

My most sincere condolences to all those who lost loved ones in this latest, wanton act of terror.

More Open Days?
Why don’t you have a Spring Open Day? Why don’t you hold an Open Day in Scotland, Wales, or even Ireland?  Good heavens! I find it difficult enough to organise one a year here, let alone more elsewhere.  I always endeavour never to have the same speakers twice, which is probably rather stupid because it means that I am on the lookout constantly for new talent, whereas it would be far more simple, and totally warranted, to invite back several from the past. Come to think of it, I might do just that.

An Open day, by definition, is a day when the public may visit a place normally closed to them.  Well, as we are always open at Churchill to everyone and anyone, that makes a nonsense of always having it there.  Other venues? Tricky. 

I truly admire those who travel vast distances to our annual Open Day, but realise that it is quite impractical for others. What I need are alternative places within a taxi, bus, or tube ride of a major railway station.  Seems simple enough, but I’m quite fussy. I do like my grub, as I believe do others, and I do cherish relaxed surroundings in which to chat and socialize. I am not too keen on institutional locations, preferring a more clubby atmosphere, although I know that this will probably mean smaller groups. No bad thing perhaps.

Meanwhile London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Norwich manifest immediately as likely spots.  Those from the East of England however, and I know that there are many, will have to wait until I have opportunity to reconnoitre the area.  Although I know just the venue in Wales, I fear that it will take some negotiation and not a little scenic driving. Therefore I think that I shall concentrate on London and Edinburgh to begin. Who wants to come? And are there any out there who would wish to speak?

However please remember that, should I manage to organise them, these days are not intended to be formal steps of continuing career development, although they may count as such, but convivial occasions at which you can speak, discuss, confer and learn with other like-minded individuals. Churchill plays away from home type of thing, if you know what I mean!
 
A flick through the journals.
There is a truly splendid picture on the front cover of the IFPA’s In Essence: an inlaid panel from Tutankhamun’s Golden Throne.  Almost worth getting the magazine for, the colour reproduction is superb. The quality is reminiscent of the old Aromatherapy World, which is probably not too surprising as I note that the Design and Print is now being done by the same people - Riverhead Publishing. In fact, with this second edition, the journal has really stepped up a gear.  Well done!

In contrast the front cover of the IFA’s house journal Aromatherapy Times is not too hot, but it has my sympathy because I too have tried several times without success to photograph a bottleof hydrosol with the essential oil floating on the surface: the background to the shot is critical, and not at all easy. However the contents of this special edition, to coincide with the IFA AGM, more than make up for the front cover.  An absolute wealth of information is crammed betwixt its covers.  I shall have to start advertising in it!

Good to get the June edition of The International Journal of Aromatherapy, albeit in October, although I remain confused by the front cover theme: the same picture throughout the year. Maybe I am just becoming old and myopic but, it really should be changed for each edition because I keep throwing away so much worthwhile information without reading it, for the simple reason that I cannot spot the volume and edition numbers at a glance. However I did manage to catch this edition, in mid-air on its way to the rubbish bin! 

There is a good article by Rhiannon Harris about the antifungal activity of selected essential oils, which all should read. I was interested to note particularly the inclusion of Rosalina (Melaleuca ericifolia Smith), or Swamp Paperbark as I prefer to call it, in her suggested formulae for dandruff. Seems to work as well. Another item which caught the eye was a fine piece by Janetta Bensouilah about the aetiology and management of acne vulgaris.   
Meanwhile, to add a little Australian flavour, Aromatherapy Today has a fascinating article by Mark Webb about Aniseed Myrtle (Anetholea anisata (Vickery) Peter G. Wilson). A new oil to me, it warrants a closer look.  It seems that there are two distinct chemotypes, one rich in (E)-anethole (90%+), the other in methyl chavicol (55-75%).  However I am never too sure about oils with high levels of trans-anethole and methyl chavicol. 

Trans-anethole is reputed to have weak oestrogen-like activity and should be avoided altogether in people with oestrogen dependent cancers, and should not be taken internally by women who are pregnant, breast-feeding, or have endometriosis.

Estragole, or methyl chavicol, is carcinogenic in mice because it is metabolised, in vivo, to the carcinogenic compound 1’-hydroxyestragole. The same metabolic process is believed to take place in humans. High doses are potentially carcinogenic, but very low doses are not, since they are readily detoxified.  Although estragole is not restricted by any regulatory agencies, its carcinogenic potential is similar to that of safrole, which is restricted.

Therefore, Mark advises, most commercial farmers are now focusing on selecting the anethole chemotype as it does not have this perceived health risk. However anethole in large amounts has a known stupefying effect and Mark comments, based on personal experience, that this oil can cause both the patient and practitioner to become somewhat “spacey”!
 
A look at Linnaeus.
If you’ve earned it, flaunt it.  And why not?  Years ago I used to study most carefully the abbreviations after peoples names, for it told me much about them. Was their M.A. (Magister Artium) from Oxford (Oxon.) or Cambridge (Cantab.)?  Were they war heroes, V.C. (Victoria Cross), D.S.O. (Distinguished Service Order), or D.F.M. (Distinguished Flying Medal)?  What was their profession, A.R.I.B.A. (Associate of of the Royal Institute of British Architects), F.C.A. (Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants) or F.R.C.S. (Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons)? Today I am more likely to enquire are they M.I.F.P.A., M.I.F.A., or M.I.C.H.T.? And yet....

What’s this F.L.S. he’s got after his name? enquired one young lady about a distinguished Hon.I.F.A. Quite surprised that she had been so meticulous in the examination of the initials after Bernie Hephrun’s name, I was momentarily floored. F.L.S.?  Of course, he’s told me, Fellow of the Linnaean Society. Tell me more.  Good heavens! Don’t ask me, give Bernie a ring, but I think it might have something to do with Linnaeus. Who? Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), also known as Carl von Linne or Carolus Linnaeus, and often called the Father of Taxonomy.  Taxonomy? The science of classification, especially of living and extinct organisms. Seemingly satisfied she rang off, but it had certainly got me thinking.

Keen as I am to quote the abbreviations of authors’ names after botanical binomials, I have always been quite surprised how often the ubiquitous “L.” crops up, being the abbreviation for Linnaeus Senior.  His son, also Carl and a botanist, is distinguished by the abbreviation “L.f.”, but he was never as noteworthy as his father.

I had assumed erroneously that Linnaeus Senior must have spent most of his time beetling around the world classifying plants.  In fact, apart from a brief spell in the Netherlands to complete his medical degree and an ethnographical expedition to Lapland, he does not seem to have strayed far from his native Sweden.

However he inspired a generation of students, and he was instrumental in arranging to have them sent out on trade and exploration voyages to all parts of the world: nineteen of his students went out on these voyages of discovery.  Daniel Carl Solander, probably his best known student, was the naturalist on Cook’s first round-the-world voyage, and brought back the first plant collections from Australia and the South Pacific. Anders Sparrman, another of his students, was a botanist on Cook’s second voyage and another student, Pehr Kalm, travelled in the northeastern American colonies for three years studying American plants and yet another, Carl Peter Thunberg, was the first Western naturalist to visit Japan in over a century. He not only studied the flora of Japan, but taught Western medicine to Japanese practitioners. Still others of his students travelled to South America, South-East Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.  Bear in mind that this was in the middle of the eighteenth century and tragically many did not return, having died on their travels.

Before Linnaeus, species naming practices varied.  Often species were given long, unwieldy Latin names, which could be altered at will.  As the number of plants and animals being brought back to Europe from around the world increased, the need for a workable naming system became vital. Linnaeus simplified naming immensely.  Although he was not the first to use binomials, or “two names”[one Latin name to indicate the genus, and one as a name for the species], he was the first to use them consistently, and for this reason, Latin names used before Linnaeus are not usually considered valid under the rules of nomenclature.

Linnaeus’s hierarchical classification and binomial nomenclature, much modified, have remained standard for more than two hundred years.
Oh, by the way, the Linnaean Society of London, founded a few years after the death of Linnaeus, is still going strong as an international society for the study of natural history.  The Society preserves the bulk of Linnaeus’s surviving collections, manuscripts, and library.

Hon, Ho, and Yu.
I have never quite understood [apart from the obvious ecological reasons] why Ho-Leaf or Ho-Wood oils are used as a substitute for Rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora var. amazonica Ducke) because....Ho-leaf and Ho-wood oils are obtained from a variety of Camphor tree and like all Camphors are hazardous oils and I would strongly advise against home use. Very experienced therapists might wish to use them with caution, but even for them there are safer alternatives available.  I include them here [Aromatherapy, An A-Z] only to dispel the notion that Ho-leaf can be used as a substitute for Rosewood.  There is no resemblance between the two oils in aroma, properties or uses and where Ho-wood is hazardous, Rosewood is a mild, non-toxic, non-irritant oil, safe for virtually any use, writes Patricia Davis. That seems pretty clear to me, but let us have a closer look.

There are four morphologically distinct species and varieties of Camphor tree. One of these, Kusonoki (Cinnamomum camphora Sieb.), is subdivided into three physiological forms, according to the components of the essential oils present: Hon-Sho, Ho-Sho and Yu-Sho. The other species and varieties are Rau-Kusu (Cinnamomum camphora Sieb. var. nominale Hayata), Sho-Gyu (Cinnamomum kanahirai Hayata), and Ohba-Kusu (Cinnamomum micranthum Hayata).

The Hon-Sho [Hon = true, Sho = camphor tree] is the most important of the camphor varieties for the extraction of camphor. The Ho-Sho [Ho = fragrant] tree was called formerly Shiu-Sho [Shiu = bad smelling], and the oil obtained from it was known as Shiu Oil.

The characteristic of the Ho-Sho is that, while its essential oil contains compounds also found in Hon-Sho oil, its chief component is linalool. At one time Ho-Sho was not produced at all, since it contains less camphor than Hon-Sho oil, but when it was realised that linalool could be used as a valuable perfume ingredient, the exploitation and distillation of Ho-Sho trees were started in 1920. The rectified oil, obtained from crude Ho-Sho oil by fractional distillation, gained a worldwide reputation as an excellent source for the isolation of linalool.
In this respect it competes now with Rosewood oil and oil of Linaloe Berry (Bursera delpechiana Poisson) [why is linaloe not used as an alternative for rosewood, I wonder?].

Yu-Sho [Yu = oil, Sho = camphor tree] is the physiological variety to which most trees in China belong, but in Taiwan it occurs only in certain areas. On distillation, the wood of the Yu-Sho yields an oil which contains only little camphor, hence the name Camphor Oil  Tree.  On the other hand, the oil contains a high percentage of cineole.

Although both Ho-wood and Ho-leaf oils are produced, leaf oil is often called “wood” in the trade. Numerous varieties of C. camphora exist and oils are diverse; oil on the commercial market can be fractions of any of these varieties.  The oil traded usually is 20% fraction of the whole wood oil; mainly linalool, the remaining 80% being sold separately as camphor oil. The chemical composition is very variable. Pure Ho-leaf oil comes from one clone, Cinnamomum camphora ssp. formosana var. orientalis, sub var. linalola [a fine example of a quinquenomial].

The leaf oil is steam distilled from fresh leaves, which can be stripped off once or twice a year without damaging the tree, or from the leaves of felled trees for camphor production.  The oil is practically colourless, and possesses a clean, sweet, floral-woody and delicate odour.  Its chemical composition is largely linalool (up to 89%), with bulk 1,8-cineole, g-terpinene, terpinolene, p-cymene, cis-linalool oxide, with many trace chemicals.

Although the leaf oil is used as a substitute for rosewood, presumably because of its high linalool content, it should be noted that the isomers of linalool (l-) are the same as those in lavender (Lavandula spp.) whereas those in rosewood are the d-isomer, and the real action of rosewood is unknown.

The so-called Japanese wood oil is distilled from the wood which, upon fractionation, yields about 20%.  The Chinese oil is usually natural and contains more camphor than linalool.  The oil is pale yellow or almost colourless with a sweet-camphoraceous, somewhat floral-woody and delicate odour.  There have always been several grades of wood oil, the best ones being virtually free from camphoraceous notes. The oil may contain a- and b-camphorenes, a- and b-bisabolol, t-cadinol, cubenol, epicubenol, eugenol, 1,8-cineole, linalool oxide, (+)-camphor and piperitone, amongst others.

The wood oil is considered traditionally to be analgesic, antirheumatic, anticatarrhal, muco-lipolytic, a general tonic, and a stimulant but, although a weak dose may be general and cardio-respiratory, a large dose is “neurotoxic” and a powerful excitant-epileptic.

The action of the leaf oil, on the other hand, is possibly similar to that of lavender.

However always check the chemical composition of your oil, because some oil types are said to be very neurotoxic and abortive and must be avoided in pregnancy, babies and children.
      
Personally, I think that the advice of Ms. Davis should be heeded.

Caution!
Speaking of advice, I have just read a case report on allergic contact dermatitis in a 31-year-old woman caused by application of an ointment containing Black Cumin (Nigella sativa L.) essential oil.  Findings confirm that black cumin oil is a potential contact allergen [Zedlitz, S.; Kaufmann, R.; Boehncke, W.H. Allergic contact dermatitis from black cumin (Nigella sativa) oil-containing ointment. Contact Dermatitis (2002): 46(3), 188].  Knowing that black cumin is currently quite popular in some remedies, I would patch test first.

Sesame soothes the snout.
Pure sesame oil (Sesamum orientale L.) used as nasal drops during winter may be better for soothing a dry nose than the usually prescribed salt solution, and has no significant side-effects.

Nasal mucosal dryness isn’t serious, but it is irritating. Of 79 patients who tested both saline and sesame remedies, three times a day for 14 days, 58 said their noses felt better using the sesame oil, but only 26 thought the saline had done the trick [Arch. Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg. (2001): 127, 1353-6].

Improving your maths?
The distinction in the way odours affect the nervous system is crucial to accurate interpretation of how odours exert their influence on brain and behaviour. Furthermore, the contrast between cognitive and non-cognitive odour effects is especially relevant to the claims made for the therapeutic or detrimental effects of odours since so much of the basis of aromatherapy is founded on a model of direct, non-cognitive odour effects [Tisserand, R. (1988). Essential oils as psychotherapeutic agents. In Perfumery: The Psychology and Biology of Fragrance.].

One of the most elementary and enduring concepts of neurophysiology and behaviour is that of arousal. Back in 1949,  two researchers provided the first electrophysiological evidence concerning the relationship between levels of alertness and the electroencephalograph (EEG), an instrument which records the electrical activity of the brain [Moruzzi, G. & Magoun, H.W. Brainstem reticular formation and activation of the EEG. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 35, 83-91].

A number of investigators have examined EEG arousal in response to odorous stimuli, but  Moncrieff was the first to examine this relationship in humans [Moncrieff, R.W. (1962). Effect of odours on EEG records. Perfumery & Essential Oil Record, 53 (Part 1), 757-60; (Part 2), 825-8].  He used what has become a standard paradigm in this type of research.  Subjects are seated or reclined and odours administered for a brief interval whilst EEG activity is recorded and subsequently evaluated.

In a recent in-depth study at the University of Miami School of Medicine forty healthy adults were given just three minutes of “aromatherapy” (lavender and rosemary).  To get an objective record of any changes in brain function, subjects were wired up to EEGs, and given simple maths tests before and after therapy [Int. J. Neuroscience, 1998: 96, 217-24].

Those in the lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) group reported feeling more relaxed, a finding confirmed by an increase in beta waves, suggesting increased drowsiness. Yet the lavender didn’t effect mental sharpness - in fact, they were able to do the maths tests faster and more accurately than before.

There were subtly different effects with rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.). This made people feel both less anxious and more alert, showing up on the EEGs as reduced alpha and beta activity. Although rosemary also improved speed in doing the maths tests, it did not improve accuracy.  I find this quite interesting, because I would have expected rosemary to outperform lavender as an aid to the thought processes.

Too much of a good thing?
I am genuinely amazed by the speed of scuttling fingers and thumbs over Playstations, as the young and not-so-young shoot the daylights out of video games like Quake.  I am surprised that they all don’t have RSI.  Still, there could be worse in store.

Only the other day, a South Korean man died after playing computer games non-stop for four days. According to the Associated Press, the unemployed man was glued to a computer in a cybercafe in Kwanju, 260 miles south-west of Seoul, from Friday to Tuesday. Deprived of sleep and proper meals, he collapsed in front of the counter desk early Tuesday but soon regained consciousness. However, he was subsequently found dead in the cafe’s lavatory.

This isn’t an isolated case. Earlier this year, a Louisiana mother sued Nintendo for “unspecified damages”, accusing the game maker of causing seizures in her 30-year-old son which subsequently led to his death.   The man spent 48 hours a week playing video games.

While such extreme cases are rare and often a casual relationship between computer games and health ailments can hardly be established, the safe doctrine seems to be - do everything in moderation.

Finally......
I cannot let slip by idly a comment I have just read in an e-mail to aromatherapists at large, from one who obviously considers himself amongst the upper echelons of oil suppliers. Where does your current supplier buy oils, I wonder? Many say special source - rubbish! The notion that there are “special sources”is a hopeless farrago of hype.  What a wonderful turn of phrase, but not entirely correct. There are exceptions.

Recently asked to source some Damiana (Turnera diffusa Willd.var. aphrodisiaca) I set about my task with genuine zeal, because none was available through “normal commercial channels”. Quite why damiana has so many devotees amongst aromatherapists I am not quite sure, because it is yet another herbal medication, which is sold as an aphrodisiac.  Still it has the reputation of being more effective in women than in men, but allegedly can be of help to men, too.  There is little modern research on damiana but there are ample empiric references from herbalists going back decades and even centuries.

The only really relevant scientific study, published in March 1999 in the German scientific magazine Psychopharmacology, done by researchers at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Modena and Regio Emilia, Italy, wasn’t even done on humans but on male rats.  It is obvious that damiana does not necessarily have the same effect on men as it has on male rodents. However, it is an accepted fact that “animal model”studies, primarily with rats, are an important method to assess the pharmacological properties of a substance with respect to humans as well.  The researchers concluded that the results seem to support the folk reputation of Turnera diffusa as a sexual stimulant.

During my quest, I learnt that damiana is also useful in magical work in that it aids in the breaking down of the natural mental barriers and inhibitors, if not used in excess, and preferably not by someone working on the opening of a gateway/portal.  It can be highly useful in Tantra magic and in such activities as Astral travel, deep meditation and spirit quests. 

I was getting rather out of my depth but, as the e-mail critic points out, words alone from anybody is at least suspect if it cannot be followed up by information.

At last, with the tremendous assistance of a colleague in North America, we located a source of supply in Mexico.  A tequila distiller!  I should have known, the alcoholic extract of damiana that arrived is out of this world, but what am I to do with it? I had requested the essential oil. Mind you, there are probably some amongst you who might like the extract. Let me know.

Meanwhile, with great difficulty and no little reluctance, the distiller produced a sample of essential oil.

Mindful of the e-mail critic....A secondary point should be the composition of an oil to give some idea of its authenticity....I did a GC/MS analysis.  Compared with an analysis of a French sample that I did some years ago, and the chemical composition propounded by some French authors on aromatherapy matters, it bears absolutely no resemblance. Perhaps, as the critic says, it is produced in Heaven. I wonder what Linnaeus would make of that!   


charles@essentiallyoils.com
 

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